Tony Castellano and Rose Castellano Mattran

Tony Castellano and Rose Castellano Mattran

Italian immigrant Tony Castellano tells his daughter, Rose, about their family’s military service in World War II. He and his four brothers were among thousands of young Americans who were sent around the world to fight the Germans and the Japanese during “the best years of my life.’’ “I wish I was back there,’’ he laments in looking at a photo of himself in 1945 at age 29. “We knew we had a job to do’’ and never complained about military duties, but couldn’t have been happier when the war ended.